Meet Maya! She's been rocking with us for just under 4 years now, working as a host and waitress at our Bellingham brewpub.
Maya's lived in Bellingham for 8 years now, after moving here from Battleground, Washington to start her Spanish degree. She has since graduated and gone back to school to get her TESOL certification (TESOL: “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages”), a certification that allows Maya to travel and teach all over the world.
After receiving her certification in summer of 2019, Maya was able to travel to both Mexico and Taiwan for short-term teaching assignments. “The people in Taiwan were so nice” Maya notes of the experience, “and there’s this gift-giving culture where, whenever you meet somebody new or if you haven’t seen somebody in a really long time, you have a ton of gifts prepared for them– so I had to literally buy a new suitcase because I got so many gifts” says Maya.
She has a deep love for traveling to other countries and learning about new cultures. “I’m hoping to do a work-away or WWOOF type of program where I can stay in one spot for a few months at a time” says Maya. The acronym WWOOF stands for “World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms”, and the program aims to teach it’s volunteers about sustainable living and organic agriculture while providing a place to live and a new cultural exchange.
Maya’s desire to partake in this type of organization is very telling of her personality and aspirations. She is known by her peers as a very conscious and hard-working person, always approaching things intentionally and with extreme kindness and care. She’s also naturally inquisitive, always asking questions and looking to expand her knowledge so that she can teach herself and help others along the way. These are just some of the many qualities that have made Maya such a fantastic addition to our team over the years.
Once it is safe to travel internationally again, Maya says she hopes to live in or travel to a Spanish-speaking country in particular, so that she can brush up on her Spanish and become more fluently bilingual. While her travel plans have all been put on hold, Maya says she's happy to be here in Bellingham, preparing for her next move in life. She enjoys many activities, such as reading or cooking new things, starting a new house project, or tending to her many houseplants. And when the weather allows, Maya is also known to be an avid hiker. She spends many of her summer days out in the Cascades exploring new trails and taking in everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
While life seems to be in a bit of a limbo these days, we are beyond grateful to have amazing staff like Maya to keep the spirits high and the ship smooth sailing. Thanks for being such a stellar employee, Maya!
